It Came To This
by NeoVenus22
Summary: PRDT. Jason gets an unexpected call from Tommy, who asks him a favor. [complete]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I only wish I did.

I know a lot of people do "what if" stories about Jason or Kim replacing Tommy in DT, but I thought I'd try it in a different way. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

The last thing Jason Scott ever would have expected was to get a call inviting him to Reefside, California. A call asking him to come visit his best friend from high school, Tommy Oliver. Tommy was offering to make arrangements at a hotel for Jason, or even go so far as to give him a spot on his couch, should Jason be so inclined.  
  
Jason accepted the invitation but said he'd make his own arrangements with the hotel, after getting a recommendation from Tommy. It was going to be weird seeing Tommy again. Things had been weird for a couple of years now.  
  
All former Rangers, prior to the whole retiring escapade that had ended Tommy's illustrious career as a Ranger and unofficially marked what Jason referred to as the "downhill slide," had been present at Trini Kwan's funeral. Jason had stood between his two closest friends from childhood, Billy Cranston and Kimberly Hart.  
  
The three of them had grown up together, and in their freshman year incorporated Zack Taylor and Trini into their unofficial group. Kimberly by that point, though still cherishing her friendships with Billy and Jason, had grown sick of testosterone and adopted Trini as her new best friend. Likewise, Billy developed a close relationship --bordering on the edge of just friendship but never actually crossing the line-- with Trini, as they were infamously known as resident tech-genius and genius-in-training. Bonds between all five of them became incredibly strong as they were selected as Earth's last line of defense, the Power Rangers.  
  
By this point, Tommy had moved to Angel Grove, and had joined the group, as Jason's best friend, his near-brother, and his second-in-command. Then things had taken an interesting turn. Tommy lost his powers, a change that had devastated him, one that had made him have to move away as he tried to cope with not only the physical aspects, but the emotional aftermath. Zordon then chose the ex-Ranger to accept the White Ranger power coin, and become new leader. That had driven Jason crazy. He'd put on a good show, honestly and truly happy for his bro and his return. And on some level, Jason had been relieved to be stripped of leadership duty, because it took a lot out of a person. But that didn't mean that he hadn't lain awake many nights, wondering why he'd been demoted without warning, without explanation.  
  
All six of the Rangers had submitted applications for the Peace Conference, encouraged by Mrs. Applebee and Mr. Caplan alike, as the best that Angel Grove High had to offer. Considering how many students across California had entered, it was phenomenal that the chosen three all came from AGH, and were half of the Ranger team. But it was a chance that none of them could pass up, so they'd agreed to pass on their powers.  
  
It was in Switzerland where Jason, Zack, and Trini developed an inseparable bond. When the Peace Conference came to an end, Zack opted to stay in Europe for a little while with his new girlfriend, and Trini had made mention of wanting to travel. Jason knew what was in his heart--and it was going back to Angel Grove and seeing if he could get his position back. But when he'd arrived, the power coins were destroyed, the Command Center was wasteland, Kimberly had gone to Florida, and Billy wasn't donning the spandex anymore. Nothing made any sense, but almost immediately on his arrival, Tommy --still leader-- had asked Jason to accept the Gold Ranger powers. Jason was eager to rejoin the team, and did so without reservation.  
  
He was so thrilled to be part of the team again that he ignored the warning signs of his waning powers. They slowly depleted his strength until he had no choice but to return them to Trey. At last he knew what Tommy had gone through, and he regretted any negative thought he'd ever had about being replaced by his best friend. Shortly thereafter, he and Emily had moved to L.A. together. Emily worked as a waitress and tried to jumpstart an acting career, while Jason got a teaching job at a karate studio and took night classes to get his high school diploma. Things were good, life was good, until Jason got the call from Kimberly one afternoon. He'd been staying late at the studio after the last class, getting in a workout, when his cell had gone off. The words still burned in his brain: _"It's Trini…there's been an accident."_ Kim's haunted voice then delivered the details of the funeral, and Jason told her firmly that he'd absolutely be there, and she should be strong, because that was what Trini would have wanted.  
  
Then he'd launched himself at his punching bag, ramming his fists into it repeatedly until his arms felt like wet linguini, and even so, he kept going. Finally he collapsed to the floor, his back to the base of the bag, sobbing. No one ever witnessed his breakdown, nor did he have any subsequent ones. He was thought of as the strong one, and he knew he had to be strong for his friends, Kim in particular.  
  
He and Emily made the drive back to Angel Grove for the funeral. Kimberly and Billy were there --Billy had long since returned from Aquitar, healed, and was going to MIT-- and Zack completed their group, the people who had known Trini best. A few of the other kids from the Peace Conference, Zack's girlfriend included, had flown in for the funeral. Aisha Campbell had come the farthest, from Africa, to help Kimberly through the ordeal and pay her respects to her predecessor. Adam Park and girlfriend Tanya Sloan came from up the coast, Rocky DeSantos from Nevada, Katherine Hillard from London. Tommy had been there, too, but really, none of the ex-Rangers did much speaking. They stood in a group at the funeral, but few words were spoken. Now was not the time to open old wounds or mend broken friendships. They were there for Trini, and that was it.  
  
Jason was in occasional contact with Billy, Tanya, and Kimberly, but other than that, he kept in touch with no one. It was hard seeing or hearing from any Ranger after his ordeal, especially now that Trini was dead. So he'd been surprised to hear from Tommy, even more surprised to hear that Tommy was in Reefside. From what Tanya had told him, post graduation, Tommy had opted to start a racing career. But now he was saying something about teaching high school. And the surprises didn't end there…when Jason had Googled information on Reefside, California, he found that it was the home of a few Big Monster attacks. He wasn't sure if he should have been surprised by the news or not. Maybe the threat of imminent squashing was the only way Tommy could sleep at night. But rather than making him apprehensive about his visit, Jason was now looking forward to it.


	2. Part I, Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

His plane landed at 2:45 pm, Pacific Time. Jason collected his suitcase from the baggage claim, shouldering his red carry-on backpack, and hailed a taxi to take him to his hotel. Reefside was a coastal city, and though it didn't boast the same multitude of distractions as Los Angeles did, it wasn't some hick town. Rather, it reminded Jason a lot of Angel Grove.  
  
Once he'd checked into his hotel and gotten settled, Jason wasted no time in calling Tommy. He wasn't here to explore Reefside, he was here for a visit, and he might as well get started on that. Tommy greeted him enthusiastically, but said that he was too tied up to make it out to Jason's side of town, and did he want to come to Tommy's place?  
  
"Sure," Jason said. He jotted down Tommy's address, hung up with his friend, and then called a cab. Thirty minutes later, the cab was dropping him off in front of a one-level wooden abode on Valencia Drive, which was apparently out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods. "Nice place," the cabbie remarked as Jason paid him. "No neighbors for about half a mile in any direction, though. Your friend must like the privacy."  
  
Jason nodded, and as he climbed out of the cab, he couldn't help but wonder why on earth Tommy would have his home out here. It was just another mystery to add to the list.  
  
Parked in the driveway were a black Jeep, and next to that, a red Mustang. Jason stopped to admire the Mustang, drawn both to the red color and the sleek curves. It figured that Tommy would have a budding car collection. Probably had a bevy of Zords in his basement, Jason thought with a sardonic smirk. He jogged up the steps and knocked on the front door.  
  
The door swung open to reveal Tommy --née Thomas-- Oliver, his hair cut short, his chin sporting an almost-goatee, glasses perched on his nose, and a smile on his face. "Jase, man, how're you doing?" Tommy said, holding out his hand.  
  
Immediately, familiarly, Jason clasped hands with his bro and the two hugged, slapping each other on the back in that male way. Misgivings about this entire trip flew out the window as Jason was just glad to see his friend again. "Bro, the new look…" Jason said, eying Tommy's brown pants and khaki-colored button-down over a black t-shirt. A very casual, earthy look, and a far cry from the bright green, white, or red outfits Jason had once known his friend for sporting. "I like it."  
  
"Could say the same for you," Tommy returned with an easy grin. Jason himself was wearing a plain white t-shirt, slightly baggy jeans, and a black leather jacket. "C'mon in," his host said, stepping aside.  
  
Inside, the décor was very simple, wooden and rustic. Almost immediately Jason spotted a framed document hanging on the wall, and he went over to investigate. Tommy's diploma, signifying a PhD in paleontology. "Man, you get this out of a crane game or something?" Jason joked.  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"And here you are, decorating the part and everything," Jason said, moving over to touch the model T-rex skeleton displayed on Tommy's table.  
  
"Whoa, man, no touching. That took me ages to put together," Tommy said, intercepting his friend's hand quickly.  
  
Jason didn't have a chance to puzzle that one over--out of the kitchen emerged three teenagers, their abrupt presence startling him and making him completely forget about the model. "Guys, I need you to go outside and see if you can find me a couple of local fossils, okay?" Tommy said, before any of them had had a chance to speak.  
  
The kids were staring at Jason, but finally the one in the lead, a tall kid with moppy brown hair and a shirt that looked like it was sporting the Union Jack, nodded. "Sure thing, Dr. O." He led the trio outside.  
  
"'Dr. O.'?" Jason asked with an amused grin. "Who are they?"  
  
"Some students of mine," Tommy said. "Here, have a seat." He gestured at the wooden chairs that passed as the furniture of the living room.  
  
"Students?" Jason repeated, sitting in a chair. He felt it creak beneath him and wondered where Tommy had picked these up. He noticed that none of them matched.  
  
"Yeah, from the high school."  
  
"Sorry, bro, it's just weird, thinking of you as a science teacher. I mean, I'm not saying that you're not good with kids and stuff, because you are. I just figured that you'd be working at a studio or something. Like me." He didn't add that when he was younger, he had harbored an idea that he and Tommy would open their own studio. That looked unlikely to happen.  
  
"I never figured I'd find a passion in paleontology, but it happened," Tommy said. "I took a class as an elective, to fulfill a science requirement. I figured I'd dealt enough with dinosaurs in the past that it should prove interesting…suddenly, I'm hooked, I'm changing my major."  
  
"Wait…how'd you get from cars to bones, though?" Jason asked. "Last thing I knew, you were going to have a career in racing."  
  
"I was," Tommy said, and the happy note that had been in his voice earlier had dissipated. "I was all set to make my big debut, but then Trini…"  
  
Jason looked away, fixing his gaze on a spot on the floor so that Tommy wouldn't see that his eyes were watering. "A car accident, and I just…she was a friend, and we weren't as close as we could have been, but…suddenly I just didn't want to do it anymore," Tommy said, "so I decided to go to college instead." There was silence, and Tommy said quietly, "I'm sorry, man. I know you two were really close."  
  
"No, it's okay," Jason said, blinking away his tears and offering his friend a half-smile. "It's been quite some time, is all. I just wasn't expecting…" he trailed off, uncertain of what to say, and then deciding that he simply didn't want to say anymore. "So go on, more life story here."  
  
"Right. Well, during my last year of school, I pulled an internship for one of the professors in the graduate program, and after I graduated, he and I started working on this project. But there was some kind of accident, and the island where our lab was…well, it exploded."  
  
Jason cocked an eyebrow but said nothing. After all the things he'd seen in his life, an exploding island was next to nothing. It just came as an interesting bit of news, considering the more mundane turn his life had taken after losing the Gold powers.  
  
"My partner disappeared before the explosion, presumed dead, and I ended up coming back to Reefside and getting a position as science teacher."  
  
"And those kids were your students," Jason said.  
  
"Yeah. They were just doing some…extra credit work for me," Tommy said. He stood up quickly. "Hey, man, you want something to eat? Want a beer or something, maybe?"  
  
"Uh…just a Coke is fine, if you have it," Jason said. "Not really hungry."  
  
"On it," Tommy said, and disappeared into the kitchen. It was a quick exit, one that made Jason suspicious. Tommy had thrown those kids out the second Jason had arrived, and run off when Jason mentioned them. Something was up.  
  
"So, bro," Jason called, standing up and walking over to inspect Tommy's diploma some more. "I heard that there have been some interesting things going on around Reefside. Bit of a blast from the past…monster attacks?"  
  
"Yeah," Tommy answered from the kitchen, "but I'm so far out of the way that it's no big deal or anything. Insurance is much cheaper if you live on the outskirts of town."  
  
"So I assume there's been someone around to deal with the problem?" Jason continued. He'd heard tell of several Ranger teams since his departure from uniform.  
  
"Yeah. Rangers. Kids." Tommy came back into the room and handed Jason a cold soda can. "So, are you still with Emily?"  
  
"Got some boring old rocks for you, Dr. O.," the brunet teenager from earlier announced, as he and his friends came back inside.  
  
Jason finally got a good look at them. Aside from the tall kid, there was a short black kid in a baggy blue shirt, and a girl with long blond hair and heavy eye makeup, dressed in a yellow tank top. Jason popped the tab on his soda and nodded at the tall kid. "That your Mustang out front?" he asked casually, punctuating his sentence with a long swig.  
  
"Yeah," the kid said with a confused half-smile. Jason wagered that the kid had no idea what was going on, but was proud of his vehicle nonetheless, hence the reaction. But more importantly than that, though, the former Red Ranger had hit the nail on the head. 'Kid' Rangers, monsters in Reefside, three color-coded teens doing 'extra credit' in the home of the most infamous retiree of them all.  
  
"My God, man," Jason said, looking to Tommy. "Don't you know when to quit?"  
  
"Say what?" Tommy said.  
  
"C'mon, Tommy. These three are Power Rangers."


	3. Part I, Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

"Dr. O., what's going on?" the black boy said, looking between Jason and Tommy with a bemused expression.

"Dude, we're so not Power Rangers, that is so bogus," the brunet said.  
  
Tommy, on the other hand, didn't take his eyes off of Jason. "That didn't take you long."  
  
"You expected that it would?" Jason returned.  
  
"Well…kinda, yeah," Tommy said with a slight shrug. "I mean, no one ever really figured out who the original Rangers were, am I right?"  
  
"I guess I'm smarter than your average bear, then," Jason said. "So, how much of what you told me is the actual truth?"  
  
"All of it," Tommy said. "I just omitted a detail here or there."  
  
"As they say, it's all in the details," Jason said.  
  
"Um, is anyone going to clue me in on what's happening here?" the girl spoke up.  
  
Tommy broke out of his trance and looked to his charges. "Oh. Right. Okay, well, um, Jase, this is Conner McKnight, Ethan James, and Kira Ford," he said, introducing the one in red, the one in blue, and the one in yellow, respectively. "And guys, this is Jason Scott, a friend of mine from high school."  
  
Jason shifted his can from his right hand to his left so he could shake hands with each of the kids. They were all more or less gaping at him. "From the video…" the one named Ethan said slowly.  
  
"Video?" Jason asked.  
  
"Dude!" the Conner kid said, an expression of amazement crossing his face. "You're one of them! One of us, I mean. A Ranger."  
  
Immediately, Jason smacked the back of Tommy's head. "Man, what was that for?" Tommy blurted, while the kids stared, uncertain whether they should laugh or do something.  
  
"A _video_?" Jason said. "Does 'secret identity' mean nothing to you?"  
  
"Oh, come on, Jase, it's been years. No one's going to care anymore. The Machine Empire, Rita, Zedd, Divatox…anyone who would remember us, they're all gone. It was my way of paying tribute. It's a legacy of power, after all, and someone had to call attention to it. Why not someone who actually knew the ins and outs of some of it? Wouldn't you rather have your life chronicled by someone who actually knew what the hell was going on?"  
  
Jason hated to admit it, but the guy had a point. "So, where's base?" he asked. "You guys are going to show me the ropes, right?" He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about all of this, so he decided to opt for curiosity.  
  
"Conner, you want to do the honors?" Tommy asked. Conner reached over to the table, and pulled at the mouth of the model tyrannosaurus skeleton. A panel lifted out of the floor. Jason cocked an eyebrow, but dutifully descended, the other four on his heels. "When I was thinking about Zords in the basement, I was just kidding…" Jason murmured, taking in the creepy Batcave qualities of Tommy's secret basement lair. "You did this all yourself, bro?"  
  
"Yep. Anton and I were partners on the Zords and the drones, and just about anything having to do with the eggs, and Hayley and I worked on the morphers together, but the design of Ops here was all me."  
  
"What are you, the new Zordon?" Jason asked with a smirk.  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"So this is Ops, huh?" Jason said. "The Neo Command Center. Power Chamber Two: Electric Boogaloo. Where's the training area? Or did you make yourself a new Youth Center, too?"  
  
"Actually, Hayley was the one responsible for a the second coming of the Youth Center," Tommy said. "She opened up her own place, Hayley's Cyberspace. Think a younger, prettier, female Ernie, and replace the stank of sweat with the hum of computers."  
  
"Wait...so you don't actually have a training space?"  
  
"Well…" Tommy hedged.  
  
Jason gaped. "_You_, of all people?" He turned to the teens. "When we were your age, Tommy here participated in more karate tournaments than there were hairs on his head. And that's saying a lot," he added with a smirk, eyeing Tommy's new regulation haircut. "No one could match him move for move."  
  
"'Cept you, bro," Tommy said.  
  
"Likewise," Jason returned. "Can you kids even fight..?"  
  
"I can't seem to get them to train," Tommy said. "They keep spouting some nonsense about having 'real lives.'"  
  
"Yeah, when you get one, see how much you want to train," one of the boys called out.  
  
"So what have you got here?" Jason asked as Tommy rolled his eyes at his students.  
  
"Let me pull up a file, and I'll show you," Tommy said, sitting in front of the massive console and typing in a command. Jason couldn't hide his surprise--if anyone had been capable of this, Jason would have bet money that Billy would have been behind it.  
  
Jason zipped through a program, taking in what Tommy had been working on. Three Rangers; red, blue, and yellow. Jason cast a look over his shoulder at the Conner kid, wondering he, the red one, was capable of following in Jason's footsteps. Not that Jason was egotistical about his Ranger past, but he knew how difficult it was, and doubted if the kid had the moral stamina for a task as big as leading the Power Rangers. At the moment, he was dribbling a small red soccer ball between his feet, while the Ethan kid tapped away at a computer screen, and the Kira girl quietly strummed on a guitar in the corner. The teenagers were intrigued by Jason's presence, but were also semi-bored at looking at the same Zords that they piloted regularly. Similarly, Jason was interested by the teen Rangers, but was more captivated by what was flashing across the screen.  
  
It was pure nostalgia value as far as the Zords were concerned. Tyrannosaurus (red), Triceratops (blue--he wondered how Billy would feel about that in addition to Tommy's sudden technical status), and Pterodactyl…only in yellow. "You couldn't do Pink?" he asked.  
  
"You honestly think I could handle seeing a pink dactyl flying over the city on a regular basis?" Tommy asked. He shrugged. "Besides, Hayley was big on the primary colors aspect of it. Kept muttering something about color theory and aesthetic value."  
  
"You keep mentioning this Hayley…who the hell is she?" Jason asked.  
  
"We met in graduate school. She's a tech genius, easily Billy's caliber, maybe more. She was the one who did the major wiring for the morphers and everything, but I know enough that I can do some quick repairs and modifications if it comes down to that. I've also taught her basic maintenance for Zords and the Raptor Cycles." Tommy leaned over Jason's shoulder and punched a button, taking Jason to a screen displaying the vehicles. Jason was impressed. "Anton had me create those," Tommy said with a minor note of pride. "Since I knew so much about engines."  
  
"They look great."  
  
"They ride great, too. Hey, let's head over to the Cyberspace and grab something to eat before the kids have to get home, huh?"  
  
"Only if you're paying, Dr. O.," Conner said.  
  
Tommy raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that." They trouped outside, the teenagers clamoring into the Mustang, and Jason and Tommy getting in the black Jeep. Conner was the first on the road, and immediately sped off. "Kid drives fast," Jason remarked.  
  
"Conner lives fast," Tommy said. "He plays soccer, and he's this speed demon on the field. I've been to a couple of his games since I started teaching…he's amazing. It's like _Shaolin Soccer_ or something."  
  
"I didn't think soccer was that big of a high school sport."  
  
"Trust me, around here it is."  
  
"And the other two? What do they do?"  
  
"Ethan's this tech geek…he's got the brains that he could be of some serious use around Ops, but he'd much rather play video games. Hayley's is his home away from home, so when they first developed the team, he dragged Conner and Kira there, and now they hang out there regularly anyway. And Kira's a musician. Hayley offers her the stage Friday nights and some afternoons during the week. Kira's really good, and it's a great arrangement because Hayley won't get ticked if Kira misses a gig due to some 'extracurricular' activity."  
  
"Musician, huh? What does she play?"  
  
"Guitar. And she sings."  
  
"She doesn't do gymnastics by any chance, does she?" Jason asked dryly, and Tommy barked out a harsh laugh.  
  
"Give me some credit, would you? Look, the gems chose their owners, not me. If I'd chosen new Rangers…well, it wouldn't have been these three," he said. "But trust me, on the surface it seems like too many coincidences, but she's really nothing like Kim." It was the first time either of them had directly referenced the missing Miss Hart.  
  
"So you wouldn't have chosen these three?" Jason pressed, feeling a bit guilty about bringing up which was probably a sore subject.  
  
"God no. Ethan's ego is huge, Conner's ego is huger, Kira is highly anti-social, they snipe at each other constantly…but they're warming up to it," he said, his tone changing. "They work hard, and they take it seriously, and really now, so few people go into this line of work willingly, right?" The two men laughed at that. "But they're trying to make the best of it, and they're actually turning into good friends, I think. I'm proud of them, and I trust them."  
  
Tommy pulled into a parking lot. "Hayley's is just down the street from here," he said as they hopped out of the car. Conner's Mustang was already here, the kid had probably broken the speed limit at least twice on his way here.  
  
They strolled into the building. It was vaguely like the Youth Center in the sense that there was a bar, there were teenagers, and it was indoors. But there was definitely no evidence of any activity going on around here other than computer use. Computers for the public lined the walls, but there were also jacks if you wanted to bring your own. There were several signs posted announcing that if you spilled, Hayley would have you killed. Jason smirked at that one.  
  
Conner, Ethan, and Kira were sitting around a table halfway between the stage and the bar. From their casual attitudes, Jason suspected that it was their 'usual' table, and he couldn't help but think back to his own usual table back at Ernie's. But you're not here to relive the past, bro, he reminded himself, grabbing a chair and joining the teenagers while Tommy went off, presumably to fetch Hayley.  
  
"So, what do you hate most about it?" he asked them, not having to elaborate on what 'it' was. He knew that giving the kids the chance to complain about something to someone who completely understood would endear him to them. Not that he particularly cared one way or another what these kids thought of him, but he figured it would be a nice gesture to Tommy. Jason imagined that the kids didn't get to complain too much in the great Doctor Oliver's presence, because he would most likely strike them down. Tommy was the most serious Ranger that Jason had ever known.  
  
"Getting called out of practice," Conner said immediately.  
  
"Missing a lot of school with no viable explanation, and having to try and talk my way out of it with Madame Psycho," Ethan said.  
  
"He means Principal Randall," Kira explained. "She's a little…unhinged."  
  
"Try psychotic," Conner said.  
  
Jason smiled. Before he could ask anything else, Tommy appeared with a pretty redhead. "You must be Jason," she said with a smile. Jason stood up and accepted her outstretched hand, shaking it firmly.  
  
"Hayley," he said. "I've heard…surprisingly little about you."  
  
"Well, that turns the tables, doesn't it," she said. "Because I know lots about you."  
  
"Hayley knows everything about everybody," Ethan contributed.  
  
Hayley's eyes never left his. "But I make Tommy's former circles a priority," she said.  
  
"Should I be flattered or scared?" he asked with the slightest smile.  
  
"That's your call," she returned. "You thirsty? Hungry?"  
  
"A little of both."  
  
"I've got you covered," she said, heading off. Tommy pulled a chair up to the table, and moments later, Hayley returned with a tray of drinks. "Here you go," she said, handing each of them a drink without even having to guess whose was whose. "And lastly, a strawberry-banana smoothie, and a muffin for the former superstar."  
  
Jason rolled his eyes at her, but she only smiled and ducked back behind the bar. "She's interesting," he remarked.  
  
The quintet chatted until closing. Since Hayley knew them, she didn't kick them out as early as she did everyone else. Jason decided that he liked the kids, they almost reminded him of his friends when he was their age. They were really nothing like his friends, but they had a camaraderie between them that he missed. It was hard to have quality banter when you communicated with people through email, and though he called some of his old friends occasionally, it just wasn't the same without a big group. The last time there had been a group, it had been situated around disaster. And since no one had wanted to bond under such circumstances, the funeral served only to drive a wedge further between them, it would seem.  
  
That night in his hotel room, Jason debated calling someone and telling them where he was. Kim, most of all, would like to know how Tommy was doing. Tommy had distanced himself from the group after he'd handed over his powers. Jason had always thought that it was because Tommy didn't want a reminder of his past, but when the guy was raising a new team of Rangers, Jason didn't know what to believe any more.  
  
But finally he reached for the TV remote and not the phone. If Tommy was looking to make contact with anyone, he'd do it himself. It wasn't Jason's business, nor his responsibility.

* * *

Over his next few days in Reefside, Jason spent as much time with Hayley and the Rangers as he did with Tommy. Tommy of course had to teach classes during the day, so Jason spent his first day touring Reefside solo, his second day touring with Hayley, and his third day offering his assistance at the Cyberspace. Nights, Jason went over to Tommy's house and the two would reminisce about glory days gone by, or Jason would fill Tommy in on the whereabouts of his former friends. They breached the subjects of Kimberly and Katherine tentatively, and not without Tommy first downing a beer or two, as if fortifying himself. But he seemed truly at ease, and harbored no resentments to anyone. The kids had the tendency to float in and out of the house in the afternoons, and fortunately for everyone, there were no attacks on Reefside during Jason's duration there. Apparently this Mesogog character operated with a lot less regularity than Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd ever had.  
  
The morning Jason was set to leave, Tommy took off his first two classes to drive Jason to the airport. "Thanks for coming out here, Jase, I appreciate it."  
  
"Nah, man, I had fun," Jason said dismissively. "It was good seeing you again, bro."  
  
"You too." Tommy pulled into the airport parking lot and killed the engine, but he didn't get out of the car. Jason paused with his hand on the door handle, sensing that Tommy had something he wanted to say.  
  
"I want to ask you a favor, bro," Tommy said, almost tentatively.  
  
"Yeah, sure, what's up?" Jason said.  
  
"If something…if something were to happen to me, I was hoping you could look after the kids for me. I know that's a lot to ask, but I think you'd be a great influence on them."  
  
"Not that anything's ever going to come to that," Jason said.  
  
"No, of course not," Tommy said, with an elaborate show of confidence.  
  
"Sure, man," Jason said. "You can count on me, bro."  
  
"Thanks, bro. It means a lot," Tommy said, and the two men smiled at each other, leaned across the seat divider, and gave each other a hug. "Tell Emily I said hi," Tommy said. "If she even remembers me."  
  
"You're hard to forget, Oliver," Jason said. "I'll tell her."  
  
They parted ways then, and Jason was occupied with waiting in lines, checking his bags, and all of the usual pre-flight hoopla. As the plane took off, Jason found himself staring out the window, and saw vaguely on the other side of the city, three Zords coming together against a disgusting-looking creature. While anyone else who saw seemed scared or excited or confused, Jason only smiled. 


	4. Part II, Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

A/N: I know a lot of people thought that it ended on that last chapter, and I'm sorry it sounded so final; that was never my intent to end it there. The finality of it was to signify the finality of that period in Jason's life, and this next chapter is short, but it's very important. A lot of you probably won't like it, and I'm sorry.

* * *

Roughly six months after his visit to Reefside, Jason came home from teaching his last class of the day to a very disturbed Emily. She was sitting at the table in the kitchen, staring blankly into space. Her gaze flicked to Jason when he entered the room. "Jase…"  
  
"What is it?" Jason asked, immediately worried.  
  
"I think you should sit down."  
  
Jason sat down. Worry had now transformed into raging panic. "Em, is everything okay?"  
  
"I got a call today," she said slowly. "From a lawyer, Mr. Bridges. He was calling from Reefside."  
  
Reefside. Suddenly, something in Jason's brain clicked.  
  
"He said that…he said…oh, Jase, I'm really sorry. He said that Tommy died."  
  
No. Not Tommy. All Jason could think was, _Not again_.  
  
"When?"  
  
"Earlier this week. Undetermined causes." _Mesogog_. "Mr. Bridges said you should call him as soon as you can. I think Tommy left you something."  
  
"Right, right, I'll call now," Jason said. He'd deal with this Mr. Bridges first, then he had to make all the appropriate calls. This was a task he dreaded doing more than anything. Trini had her impact on the world, to be sure, but Tommy had worked with every single one of the ex-Rangers that had shown up at Trini's funeral, and had left an impression on all of them. Though he was distant nowadays, at the time they all thought of him as a good friend, and then and now, they respected him deeply. This was very disturbing news, and Jason wasn't looking forward to it.  
  
He dialed the number that Emily gave him, and his hand shook so much that he screwed up and had to redial twice. Emily reached across the table and put her hand on his reassuringly. He flashed her a fleeting smile of thanks before someone answered the line. "Lucas and Gold," a woman's voice said.  
  
"Hi, yes, I received a call from a Mr. Bridges..?" Jason asked, and he was surprised at how calm his voice sounded, even though he felt like he was coming apart at the seams.  
  
"Just a minute," the woman chirped, and there was another ringing phone.  
  
"Gil Bridges."  
  
"Hi, you called me about Tom--_Thomas_ Oliver," Jason corrected himself. "I'm Jason Scott."  
  
"Ah, yes, Mr. Scott, I was hoping I'd hear from you today. Let me first say that I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I didn't know Mr. Oliver for that long, but he was an outstanding individual. My daughter is --was-- in his science class, and she regarded him as a phenomenal teacher." Jason smiled to himself, Tommy would have been proud to hear that. "Anyway, yes," the lawyer continued, "Mr. Oliver left you something in his will, Mr. Scott. Were you aware?"  
  
"No," Jason said honestly. He was having issues coping with this whole situation, and was having trouble keeping his mind on the conversation. Tommy dead. Sure, they hadn't spoken much since Jason had lost the Gold powers, but that had been mostly Jason's fault, having skipped town immediately afterwards and not leaving a forwarding address.  
  
"Well, Mr. Scott, Tommy left you his house."  
  
His house? _"If something were to happen to me, I was hoping you could look after the kids for me."_ His _house_. Of course. With Ops in the basement. The Rangers. "I understand you live in L.A., Mr. Scott?"  
  
"Yes. But I've been to the house. In Reefside."  
  
"1992 Valencia Drive," Mr. Bridges said. "He left the key to it in my care." Jason guessed that it wasn't the only key. Easy money said that Hayley had a spare in case of emergency. Please, there was the secret entrance to the lair from the woods, not that the lawyer knew about that. Not that anyone knew that but the Rangers, Hayley, and Jason. "If possible, I'll need you to come down within the week to sign some papers. After that, the house is yours to deal with as you choose."  
  
"I'll make arrangements," Jason said numbly. "Has the family been notified?" He didn't know Tommy's adoptive parents too well, but that didn't mean it would be any easier to deliver the news.  
  
"Yes, they have. You can call them for the funeral arrangements, if you like." Mr. Bridges left Jason a number, which he hastily scribbled down.  
  
"Okay, thank you Mr. Bridges. I'll keep in touch." Jason hung up the phone. Emily scooted her chair closer to him so that she could put an arm around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, Jase, I know how much Tommy meant to you. He meant a lot to me, too."  
  
Jason found himself burdened with a million things to do, but he allowed himself a moment to seek comfort in Emily's embrace. Then he drew away. "I have to call Tommy's parents, then I have to start calling the others…" he said, his voice breaking slightly on 'others'.  
  
"I have a shift," she said quietly. "But I can call in sick and stay with you, if you'd like."  
  
"No, go to work," he said. "Don't mess up your day because of me. I'll be fine, I promise."  
  
"Okay." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I love you."  
  
"Love you too, Em," he said quietly, and as she exited the room, he found himself staring at the phone. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and when he heard the front door closing and Emily locking it behind her, he picked up and dialed Tommy's parents. 


	5. Part II, Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

Talking to the Olivers had left Jason shaken. Mrs. Oliver had been crying too hard, and Jason suspected it was his fault. Mr. Oliver had manned the conversation out of respect to his wife, answering all of Jason's questions with quiet resignation. "My son thought very highly of you, Jason," Mr. Oliver had concluded.

"I thought very highly of him, too, sir," Jason said. "I'm going to miss him a lot."  
  
When that bit of pain was over, Jason pulled a legal pad and a pen out of the kitchen's junk drawer, and made a list of all the ex-Rangers that needed to be phoned. Should he start with the easiest first? Was there anyone that would be easy?  
  
Jason closed his eyes and jabbed his finger at the pad. It took him a moment before he could open his eyes. Zack Taylor. "Okay then," he said with a sigh, flipping open the address book and calling Zack's number.  
  
"_Salut_."  
  
"Zack? It's Jason."  
  
"Jason!" Zack said. "Hey, how are you?"  
  
"I'm fine. How's France? How's Marie?" Zack had gotten married earlier in the year, but since Marie lived in France, Jason hadn't been able to make it to the wedding.  
  
"France is awesome; I just love it here. Marie's pregnant, she's due in two months."  
  
"That's wonderful." Zack's happiness just made Jason's news harder to spit out. "Um, Zack, I have some bad news."  
  
"Bad news?"  
  
"It's...Tommy. He died earlier this week."  
  
"Oh, God..." Zack got very quiet. "Oh, _God_...not Tommy."  
  
"Yeah," Jason said.  
  
"When's the funeral?" he asked, and Jason told him, feeling even guiltier about not having gone to Zack's wedding. "Okay, man, I'll be there. How're you holding up?"  
  
"I'm doing okay..." Jason said.  
  
"Have you told Kimberly yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, then, I'll let you get to your calls, I guess. I'm sorry...this sucks. If you need anything, just call."  
  
"Okay. Thanks, man."  
  
Jason hung up and crossed Zack's name off the list. He decided that the blind stab approach wasn't half bad, so he tried it again. Billy Cranston.  
  
Billy was still in Boston. He had graduated from MIT and was now working at some sort of tech firm. Jason wasn't sure of the details, but then again, those sorts of things had always eluded him. Jason dialed, but the phone was busy, so he left a message with a sigh. He was only delaying the inevitable. "Billy, it's Jason. Please call me back as soon as you get this. And if my phone is busy, just keep trying." He put a mark beside Billy's name so that he would remember that he had called, and hit the list again. Tanya Sloan. This would be two birds with one stone, she and Adam were living together. He dialed.  
  
"Hello?" a man answered.  
  
"Adam, hey man. It's Jason."  
  
"Oh, hey, Jason! How are things?"  
  
"Not so good," Jason admitted, deciding to cut short the small talk that had been so particularly painful with Zack. "Listen, Adam, it's about Tommy. He's...well, he..."  
  
"Is he okay?" Adam asked, concern lacing his voice.  
  
Jason laughed shortly. "Not so much okay as dead," he said. He immediately regretted his phrasing, especially considering that Adam was one of the more sensitive ex-Rangers, and Tommy was one of his closest friends. "I'm sorry, that came out all wrong...it's been a long day..." He took a deep breath. "Adam, Tommy died."  
  
"I have to sit down," Adam said, and there was a long pause.  
  
"You okay, man?" Jason asked.  
  
"This is...he's really..?"  
  
"Yeah," Jason said. "Earlier this week." Jason had made the decision to keep the story behind Tommy's death as evasive as possible. He knew it had everything to do with Mesogog, judging from the man's concern the last time the two had met. The others didn't need to know that Tommy was back in the Ranger business. Even though he'd only been a mentor, the others wouldn't take the news too well. Jason laid out the details for the funeral. "Give Tanya a hug for me," Jason said quietly, because he and Tanya were close friends. "I'm really sorry about this."  
  
"No, it's all right," Adam said in an odd, detached sort of voice. "Have you called Kimberly yet?"  
  
"No, I'm getting to that." Jason wondered if he sounded as tired as he felt.  
  
He must have, because something crept into Adam's voice, giving it weight as he offered, "Do you want me to call Aisha and Rocky? You've probably got your hands full as it is."  
  
"That would be great," Jason admitted with a large sigh of relief. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem. Hey, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call."  
  
"I will, man," Jason said. "Thanks." _If you need anything_. Zack had said that, too. What Jason needed was Tommy back. Things had been weird the past few years, but Tommy was still his best friend.  
  
He crossed off the names of Adam, Tanya, Rocky, and Aisha, and then jabbed at the list again. Justin Stewart.  
  
Okay, this was a bit harder. Jason had never worked with Justin, and Justin hadn't gone to Trini's funeral. The two had never met. Jason would have to get his number through someone else, and he figured only one person on his list was likely to have it. Katherine Hillard.  
  
Both Zack and Adam had been concerned about Jason telling Kim, but Jason was just as worried about calling Katherine. She had loved Tommy just as much as Kimberly had. Or maybe Zack and Adam had been concerned about Jason's tight bond with Kimberly. Either or, calling Kat wasn't going to be a picnic. His phone bill was going to be atrocious this month, he thought, as he made a call to London.  
  
"Hello?" came Katherine's breathless voice.  
  
"Hey, Kat."  
  
"Who is this...is this Jason?" He could hear a smile creeping into her voice.  
  
"Yeah. Were you just heading out or something?"  
  
"Just heading in, actually. The phone was ringing when I got in the door and I was afraid I might miss the call. How are you? I haven't seen you since..." she trailed off as she remembered the last time they'd seen each other. Jason hated what he was about to say next, but it had to be done.  
  
"Kat, I have some bad news about Tommy."  
  
"He's not getting married or something, is he?" Katherine asked. God, he wished that was all he had to tell her. Kat was his friend, too.  
  
"Kat, this isn't easy for me to say, but Tommy died the other day." He heard her gasp, and he wished that he was there so that he could hug her. "I'm sorry, Kat."  
  
"This is a little too much to take," she said, and he could judge from her voice that she was speaking through tears. "I wish you'd said he was married," she said with the slightest of laughs. "That would have been easier. Then I wouldn't have felt so much like I was losing him."  
  
Jason told her about the funeral almost mechanically. This was only his third call, but it was beginning to be too much. He finally asked for Justin's number, and Kat offered to call instead. "No offense, Jason, but it would be better if he heard from someone he knew."  
  
"Of course," Jason said, then added a thank you as he crossed Kat's and Justin's names off his list. All that left now were Billy (if he returned Jason's call) and Kimberly. He bade Kat goodbye and hung up, then gripped his head firmly between his hands and squeezed. He was trying to squeeze out the past hour, trying to make it as though it never existed. It was odd: he'd spent years after leaving Angel Grove without seeing or talking to Tommy Oliver, and it had never bothered him to the level that this one hour without Tommy had.  
  
Of course then, he hadn't lost Tommy for good.  
  
"If you're up there, bro, you're really screwing with my head right now," Jason muttered. "I hope you're happy." He reached for the phone and punched in Kimberly's number before he had the chance to think about it.  
  
"Hey there!" chirped the voice on the other end.  
  
"Kim, it's--"  
  
"I'm not here right now, so if you leave a message..." He tuned the rest of her message out. "Damn." He waited for the beep. "Kim, hey, it's Jason. Listen, call me back immediately. Okay? Just do it. It's..." he faltered, wondering how much he should say, wondering if hearing this message was going to make her worry. Before he could decide whether or not to complete his thought --or what his thought even was-- someone picked up.  
  
"Jase?"  
  
"Kim?"  
  
"Hey! I just got out of the shower, sorry. How are you? How's Emily? How's L.A.? Have you run into Colin Farrell yet? If you do, you know enough to give him my number."  
  
"Kim, it's Tommy," he interrupted.  
  
When she spoke again, after a pregnant pause, her voice had a haunted quality to it. "Not him. Anyone. Anyone but him. Not after Trini."  
  
"It happened suddenly," he said quietly.  
  
"Another car accident?"  
  
"No. I'm not sure what the circumstances were." Not a full lie. She asked about the funeral, and he repeated the information Mr. Oliver had given him. All he really wanted was a nap. A nice, long nap. And the ability to wake up and have this all be gone.  
  
But he had responsibilities first. "Kim, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm about as okay as you are," she retorted, and that actually made him smile.  
  
"That good, huh." He sighed. "I'm so sorry, Kim."  
  
"You and me both, Jase. But we can't take it back. We can't have them back. They just have to wait for us." She was being remarkably calm about this, and Jason felt grateful for it. He didn't have the energy or the will to play the strong big brother to Kimberly. It was his role, and it was a role he performed dutifully and lovingly and without reservation, but just not now. Not tonight.  
  
"Right, right," he said. "Listen, Kim, I have to go. Sorry. I just...I have a lot of stuff to do."  
  
"Okay," she said in a tiny voice, and he felt bad for abandoning her.   
  
"If you need anything..." he said, borrowing the phrase.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Bye, Kim."  
  
"Bye, Jase--" He hung up before anything else could be said, and immediately dialed the airline company to book tickets to Reefside. When Emily got home, Jason was spread out on top of his covers, staring at the ceiling with dead eyes. She crawled onto the bed next to him and rested her head on his chest. Instinctively he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she said.  
  
"I'm leaving for Reefside tomorrow," he said. "I have to sign some paperwork."  
  
"Okay," she said.  
  
"I got us tickets back to Angel Grove for the funeral," he added. Tommy had apparently requested to be buried in Angel Grove, according to the Olivers. It made sense...Tommy had been an army brat, and when his dad had finally relocated to Angel Grove, Tommy had found a circle of friends and finally a place where he felt at home.  
  
"Okay," Emily said again. "Do you want to talk?"  
  
"No," Jason said tiredly. He stroked her hair absently. "I just want to get some sleep." Sleep for a very long time.


	6. Part II, Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

Jason got a rental car after landing in Reefside. First things first, he drove to the Cyberspace, where Hayley was wiping the counter. As he approached, she continued to wipe the same spot meticulously, and he noticed it was ridiculously shiny, working on worn. "Hayley?"  
  
She looked up. "Jason!" she said, with recognition but not relief and certainly no excitement.  
  
He ducked behind the counter and gave her a hug. She seemed to need one, and since he couldn't offer hugs to any of his other friends, she was next in line. "How are you holding up?"  
  
"Horrible," she said. "I know it's only been a few days, but it hurts more than I ever could have expected. I just keep thinking I'm going to see him walking through those doors, and…"  
  
"How are the kids?" he asked.  
  
"Devastated. None of them are even speaking, even." She pointed over at the couch under the large picture window, where Ethan, Conner, and Kira were sitting in a row. Their backpacks were spread at their feet, untouched. They all just stared into space. Jason let go of Hayley. "I'm going to go talk to them," he said. She nodded, and resumed wiping the bar. Jason went over and pulled up a chair. "Hey, guys."  
  
"Oh, hi, you're back," Conner said.  
  
"How are you doing?"  
  
"How do you think we're doing?" Ethan said darkly.  
  
Jason sighed. "Tommy left me his house," he said.  
  
Kira looked up, meeting Jason's eyes for the first time. "Does that mean you're coming here? Are you going to take over for him?"  
  
"He asked me to," Jason said, the first time he'd discussed it since Tommy had dropped him off at the airport. "He said that if anything were ever to happen to him, he wanted me to mentor you guys. Ops is going to be officially mine in a few short hours, so it's up to you guys. If you want, I can shut it down, go back to L.A., and you guys don't have to worry about this stuff anymore." He couldn't believe he was giving them an out. But after what these kids had been through… "You can be normal again."  
  
They stared at him a moment. "We can stop being Rangers," Conner said, "but Mesogog won't decide to stop being evil, just 'cause we've quit. And he killed Dr. O. You think I'm just gonna let that slide?" He glanced at Ethan, then at Kira. "You two can do what you want." He looked at Jason again. "I'm staying in."  
  
"Hey, once a Ranger, always a Ranger, right?" Kira said. A corner of her mouth lifted in a pseudo-smile. "Dr. O. taught us that one."  
  
"Beats sitting around all day," Ethan agreed glumly, but Jason knew that the kid fully supported Conner's statement. He was just being himself.  
  
"Then that settles it," Jason said, standing up. He felt somewhat better, knowing that he was going to be continuing Tommy's work and his dream.

* * *

The next day, Jason was back in L.A. "I'm moving to Reefside," he announced to Emily over a TV dinner.  
  
She looked up sharply. "Jase, no. Why?"  
  
"Tommy left me his house," Jason said, staring down at his half-baked chicken and poking it once or twice. Emily had been working all day, and his flight had only gotten in that afternoon, so they didn't have time to make anything better.  
  
"So? You can just sell it, can't you? I mean, the money would go to a good cause…"  
  
"I can't just do that, Em."  
  
"Well, are you expecting me to come with you?" she asked. He frowned, not sure how to answer that. To be honest, he hadn't really thought much past the need to move to Reefside and take care of the kids, as per Tommy's wishes.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "Jason, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be upset. I know how close you two were. But you're not thinking clearly! You can't just drop your life and move to some Podunk town in southern California."  
  
"I grew up in some Podunk town in southern California," Jason snapped, then realized he didn't want to get angry at Emily. He sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. This was important to Tommy, is all."  
  
"Jase, I love you, but I can't just move to Reefside. Can't we just stay here?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I made him a promise."  
  
"And you didn't make me a promise when you proposed?" she asked.  
  
He looked away. He loved Emily, and she had been his lifeline when his life had gone south after losing the Gold powers. He had made himself a life here, and he loved working at the studio and coming home to Emily every night. If he sold Tommy's house, the money could go to the wedding that they couldn't quite afford.  
  
But he'd promised Tommy. And those kids needed him. They had the best intentions, but with all this rage they were harboring, they were going to short-circuit themselves before they accomplished anything.  
  
"Em, baby, I'm sorry. But I have to do it. A promise is a promise."  
  
"But _why_," she said. "I don't want to be a nag, Jason, but I think I have a right to know why."  
  
He had never told her. He loved Emily, and he trusted her explicitly, but he had just never told her. He grasped her hand firmly in his. "I have something to tell you." 


	7. Part II, Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

"So you have to go to Reefside to help teenagers avenge Tommy's death?" Emily said, cocking an eyebrow. To her credit, she'd swallowed it all down, and had never moved from her seat. He had long since dropped her hand, undergoing a pattern of fidgeting as he went through his tale.  
  
"Something like that," he said.  
  
"God, Jason, why didn't you ever tell me this? It's been _years_."  
  
"I don't know. Things were always so risky. You never knew what was going to happen next, and I was worried that something might happen to you. I still am. Especially now that I know what Mesogog is capable of." He sighed. "Maybe it would be better if you _did_ stay in L.A. At least until this is resolved."  
  
"Jase…"  
  
"It's better this way, I think. You'll be safe, and you don't have to give up your life."  
  
"No, I just have to give up my life with you."  
  
"Postpone," he said. "That's all. I have to do it, Emily. I promised Tommy, and these kids need me. I hope you understand."  
  
"I'm not entirely sure I do…but if it's important to you, then I can't stop you. Just be safe."  
  
"I won't go until after the funeral," he said. "And when I get back, we'll get married. I promise."  
  
"I know we've been waiting until we have the money," she said. "But I don't want a big fancy wedding. I really don't. I just want to be with you."  
  
"I promise," he said quietly, insistently, and leaned across the table to kiss her. The last day or two had been miserable, but Emily was his light. "I love you."  
  
"I love you, too."

* * *

Angel Grove Cemetery was an enormous, beautiful place with lush grounds. The last time Jason had been here had been for Trini, and it had been raining that day. But for Tommy, the sun gleamed. It seemed somehow appropriate, as far as Jason was concerned. The brightness was representative of the effect that Tommy had on others, to make other people happy.  
  
Seeing Zack in black, and wearing black himself, were things Jason was well accustomed to. Seeing Kim in a color other than pink was a bit jarring, though. He wrapped her in a tight hug. "How are you holding up?"  
  
"We're not here, are we. This isn't real."  
  
"It's real," he said glumly. "Oh, God, Kim, it kills me, but it's real."  
  
He gave hugs to Kat and Tanya in turn, exchanging back pats with Adam and Rocky. Smiling and chatting with Zack and Marie, who was bursting with pregnancy. A tall young man, approximately twenty something in age was clutching onto Kat's arm, looking like a ghost. Jason assumed this was Justin. Billy was standing off to the side. He didn't appear to be as bad as he'd been for Trini's funeral, but that didn't mean he was doing excellently, either. None of them were at their best.  
  
Jason made his way over to the Olivers. Mrs. Oliver was crying again --still-- and Mr. Oliver looked waxen. He found himself giving them both hugs before returning to the crowd of ex-Rangers. He stood during the ceremony with one arm around Kimberly's waist as she pressed against him, crying, and the other hand clasping Emily's so tightly he thought it might cut off the circulation for one or the both of them.  
  
Towards the edge of the crowd he spotted Hayley and the kids. He waited until the ceremony was over before he made his way to them. "Reefside goes unguarded today?" he asked.  
  
Kira was crying. Conner had his arm around her shoulders gently. "Look, the man gave his life protecting them," Ethan said, his hands jammed into the front pockets of his slacks. "And they don't even give a crap. So we can be here now."  
  
Jason smiled and nodded. "You should get back soon, though."  
  
"We're already on our way," Hayley explained. Jason patted her shoulder. "He's glad you came." He glanced at each of them. "All of you. He had the utmost faith in the three of you, and pride, and he respected you all immensely. I think he would have wanted you to know that."  
  
"Thanks, Dr.--" Conner shook his head, a troubled look crossing his face. "Mr. Scott."  
  
"Jason," Jason corrected automatically. The three teens --Hayley too, for that matter-- all looked as though they'd been stabbed in the gut by Conner's accidental almost-admission of the name. "Please, call me Jason." Though his karate students always showed him the greatest respect, Jason already had a far different relationship with these three.  
  
"Our plane leaves in an hour," Hayley said, breaking the awkward silence, as the students had refused to look at Jason.  
  
Jason nodded, and as they started away, he found himself adding, "I'll be there Friday."  
  
"Permanently," Hayley supplied.  
  
"Until this is over."  
  
"I'm beginning to think it will never be over," Hayley said darkly, and the quartet headed in solemn procession to the funeral gates. Jason found Emily at his side, clutching his hand and resting her head against his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Jase," she said softly, and Jason kissed her forehead, still watching his charges. Of the two women, he was more inclined to believe Hayley's prediction of the future. 


	8. Part II, Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

"Who was the woman?" Emily asked, standing in the doorway to the room, leaning against the frame and watching Jason as he packed a few things in his carry-on bag. He'd already sent his stuff to Reefside. Anything else he needed, he was going to have Emily ship out.  
  
"Woman?" Jason asked, preoccupied. He was running through a mental checklist.  
  
"From the funeral. The redhead."  
  
"That was Hayley. I told you about her."  
  
"The coffee-shop girl."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"She was pretty."  
  
"She's Tommy's girlfriend," Jason found himself saying. It wasn't true, and he had no reason to lie to Emily about something like that, because while he agreed with the sentiment that Hayley was appealing to a degree, he was in no way attracted to her. He just spoke because he knew it would make Emily feel better. He was willing to give her any little thing to help with this transition.  
  
"Oh." Immediately she was contrite, and he could tell she was hating herself for being catty and thinking bad things about Jason and Hayley, and Jason felt worse for lying to her, even if it was with good intentions. "Poor girl."  
  
Jason nodded, thinking that it wasn't entirely untrue. He had sensed a relationship between Hayley and Tommy that extended beyond friendship, although he doubted that either of them had realized it at the time. Of course, now, it was far too late to fix that.  
  
On the plane, Jason had his headphones on and a CD blaring into his ears, not to mention a book open on his lap. But he paid so little attention to either of the distractions that they might well have not existed. He drummed his fingers incessantly on the edge of his seat, earning him angry glares from his neighbor. He didn't notice that, either.  
  
Conner picked him up at the airport. Hayley had originally offered to do it, but she couldn't get away from the Cyberspace, and besides, Conner had his own car, whereas Hayley did not. Conner drove the route to 1992 Valencia Drive in brooding silence, and stayed only long enough to offer his services for heavy lifting or unpacking, which Jason turned down. Satisfied, Conner left with a roar of his engine and a cloud of dust in his wake.  
  
Jason was settled in by the end of the weekend, and had spent sufficient time exploring the house and the lair. He knew the entrances, the exits, the secret exits, and had even more or less figured out how to operate the console. He had sketched out a list of questions to ask Hayley the next time she was here. He was still awed that Tommy had constructed everything and had known how to operate it. The Tommy he had known hadn't been stupid, but wouldn't have been able to do all of this. Would wonders never cease.  
  
Monday, Jason took up a position working for Hayley at the Cyberspace. At least until he could find a job at a studio. When school let out for the day, two out of three Rangers made it into the coffee shop. "Where's Ethan?" Jason asked, scrubbing down Conner and Kira's table.  
  
"Dr. O.'s," Kira said, then winced. "I mean, at the house. The lair. The…he's keeping an eye on things," Kira settled on finally. Conner slumped further on the table. Jason wished he could tell the kids to buck up, but he was hardly able to impart advice like that. Not when he was a mess himself.  
  
Instead, he just nodded, tried to show some authority. "Good." He was glad that the kids were serious enough about this to monitor things on their own when their new leader was too screwed up to even think of it.  
  
Conner's wrist flashed with an annoying 'bloop' sound. It was less conspicuous than the communicators, but Jason preferred the original model to this new one. Checking around that no one was listening, Conner spoke into his com bracelet. "Yo, Ethe."  
  
"Guys, we've got issues down at the beach."  
  
Kira groaned loudly. "Fantastic."  
  
"We're on our way," Conner said. He cut off communication with the base and stood up. "Time to go to work."  
  
Jason took up post at the basement console while the Rangers battled against the monster. They combined their weapons into something called the Z-Rex Blaster. A stupid name, Jason thought, but it got the job done. Until a torrential downpour opened up on the smoldering remains of their adversary, and he grew to immense proportions. Jason knew the routine from here all too well. When he'd been doing this, he was torn between the love of hand-to-hand combat, which he was skilled at, and piloting the Zords, which was something so phenomenal it couldn't be described in words.  
  
But the Rangers were just standing there. "Guys, you better get a move on," Jason prompted.  
  
"Uh, Mister…Jason…we need the Brachio Zord. It's the tank where the other Zords are."  
  
"Oh, okay," Jason said with an air of confidence, hoping they couldn't hear as he stared at the console, gulped, and muttered, "Now which button…" He typed in a command, and his guess was spot-on, because on one of the screens, the massive Brachio Zord thundered over the streets of Reefside, stopping to release the Tyranno, Tricera, and Ptera Zords. Jason watched in quiet fascination as the Zords combined to beat the living crap out of the monster and triumph. He punched the air and laughed, feeling the first sense of joy that he had in a few weeks.  
  
When they returned to the lair, Jason slapped high fives with Conner. Conner was clearly just going through the motions, however. Ethan slumped in a chair. "Great job, you guys," Jason said enthusiastically.  
  
"That was the quickest we've ever won," Kira remarked.  
  
"Elsa and Zeltrax weren't there," Conner said.  
  
"Probably toasting themselves on a job well done, killing Dr. O.," Ethan said darkly.  
  
"Don't talk like that," Kira said, her voice steadily dropping as though someone was messing with her volume control. Immediately Ethan blanched and spoke contritely: "Sorry, Kira, I wasn't thinking…" Conner touched Kira's arm gently.  
  
She neither sank into his touch nor shrugged it off. Ethan and Conner were both staring at her with concerned expressions, and when she finally lifted her head, she was half-smiling. "I'm hungry. We got cut off before we could order."  
  
"Back to Hayley's we go then," Conner said decisively, and they trouped off. 


	9. Part III, Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

Jason hadn't had much time to get to know the kids before Tommy's death, but there was a marked difference in their personalities then and now. When they'd been introduced, they were all happy, bright kids. Conner and Ethan were in the middle of a love-hate relationship, their egos often clashing, but with undertones of true --if not grudging-- respect and admiration of one another. Not to mention an honest friendship. They both got along with Kira much better than they did with each other, perhaps her opposite gender providing a welcome change from their testosterone-charged battles. Not that Kira wasn't fiery herself, and often got into her share of snits with Conner (though rarely Ethan). It was clear that the threesome hadn't been friends for a long time, but were easing into it as best they could.

But now, they were tightly bonded, feeding off of each other, reading each other's thoughts easily. Probably because they so accurately mirrored their own. All three were beside themselves with grief, but were dealing with it in different ways. Conner had taken it upon himself to fill Tommy's role as the head of the group. He wasn't enthusiastic about the battles from what Jason could see, but he was determined above all else. He seemed to have lost the cockier aspect of his personality, instead just carrying himself with a quiet confidence. He was also acting as their rock, especially for Kira, who seemed to be taking this harder than either of the boys. He was constantly giving her soft and reassuring touches, or flashing her a smile to cheer her up. Not that his smiles were as bright as Jason remembered them being.

Ethan, on the other hand, was making up for Conner's lack of Conner-ness by being as dark as possible. He was overly pessimistic about everything, treating his duty as more of a chore. While Jason suspected this had been his attitude about it before, it was a lot more pronounced now.

Kira was the one with the most drastic change. The confident, spunky, snarky girl Jason had met was replaced by a shell of a girl. She seemed okay at first glance, able to hold her own in mundane conversation, but there was no spark in her eyes. Jason had been living in Reefside a week now, and he hadn't her play the guitar once. The way Tommy had told it, she was constantly scribbling down song notes or humming to herself, but those quirks never made themselves apparent anymore.

Jason raised his concerns to Hayley at work one evening, asking if she noticed anything unusual about the kids, from a perspective of someone who knew them better. "Conner's lost his ball for starters," Hayley said, wiping down the bar as Jason stacked the chairs upside-down on the tables for closing. "He used to carry around this bocce ball; played with it constantly. Drove everyone bonkers. But he doesn't seem to have it anymore. And I think he's been skipping soccer practices. And Ethan never comes in here alone anymore. He used to be my best customer, and now the only time he comes in is when he's with them. He carries his laptop still--probably out of habit, because I don't see him opening it. And Kira hasn't gone near the stage."

"Should we be worried?" Jason asked.

"I don't know...I imagine they'll get over it soon enough. I mean, this happens all the time in Power Rangers land, right? Losing a member of the team?"

Jason winced involuntarily, and pointed his gaze in a direction that Hayley wouldn't be able to intercept. Not that she was looking his way, anyway, far too preoccupied with her task at hand. She had meant the comment offhandedly, callous though it may have sounded, though she hadn't intended it that way, he was sure.

He was thinking about Trini and the wave of sadness that had almost killed him that afternoon when he'd heard the news. He was thinking about when he had found out that Zordon had died. Zordon was a mentor, but he was so much more than that. He was a father figure to the team, and as such, he had left a hole that would never be filled, not completely.

As Jason mulled over the deaths of Trini and Zordon, crushed under his own grief, a nagging voice asked him why he had not wept at the news of Tommy's death as he had with the other two. Was it because they had grown distant? Was it guilt at not strengthening his ties with Tommy --and to a lesser extent, the other Rangers-- that had stilled his impulse to cry? Had he even _had_ an impulse to cry? Jason couldn't recall it.

Thunder boomed overhead, so impressive that the large windows donning the front of the café rattled in their frames. "I'd better get out of here before the storm starts," Jason said, straightening one of the pillows on the couch and gazing out the window up at the gray sky. Tommy had left Hayley his Jeep, possibly under the impression that Jason already had a car, but Jason had left his car with Emily, so Hayley had given him the Jeep. When he stepped outside, fat droplets were just beginning to explode on the pavement, so he darted to the Jeep. He gunned the engine and pulled out of the parking lot just as the torrential downpour struck.

The house was located in the middle of nowhere, on unpopulated roads, some of which weren't paved. The rain was falling so heavily that Jason was worried that the canvas roof of the Jeep that he'd thrown up that morning after seeing the weather forecast was going to collapse under the weight of the water being dumped on it. He drove slowly as to avoid any sort of accident, and also partly because he simply couldn't see two feet in front of him. When he finally returned to the driveway of his temporary home, it had taken him twice the usual time to get there. Conner's car was already there, and when Jason hung his jacket on the back of a chair to dry, he went into the lair and saw the three teenagers lounging about.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We come here a lot," Conner supplied. "Here or the Cyberspace."

"It's getting kind of late though, isn't it?" Jason asked.

"That's why we're not at the Cyberspace," Ethan said dryly.

"How was your day?" Jason took a seat.

"Brutal," Conner said. "There was a math quiz. Totally bombed it."

"Trig was never your strong suit, Conner," Kira said. "Maybe I could tutor you or something."

"Could you?" Conner asked. "One more F figured into my quiz average is going to kill my grade for the semester."

"I love how you can figure that out, but class itself completely alludes you," Ethan said.

"You guys, I was thinking..." Jason said slowly. They all looked up, and seemed confused for a second, as though they'd forgotten he was there. "I know that Tommy didn't emphasize training too much, but I've been working at a studio for several years now, and I was hoping --if you guys would let me-- that I could teach you a few things."

Ethan frowned. "I don't think I have the time for it."

"How could you not have the time for that?" Conner said. "You haven't touched your computer in ages."

Ethan knew that to argue against Conner was to discuss his separation from his former self, and it was easier to give in to his teammate's wishes than it was to try and think about the past. "Fine, whatever."

"I'll do it," Kira agreed.

"Count me in," Conner said with a firm nod.

Jason allowed himself a tiny smile. They weren't enthusiastic, but they were willing. It was a start.


	10. Part III, Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

"OOF!"

Conner went down hard, and lay on his back for a few minutes, breathing heavily. With a loud groan, he pulled himself to a seated position, then stood up without a second groan. "I'm okay," he mumbled.

"Good," Jason said, and watched, marveling inwardly, as Conner went into a ready stance.

Immediately the older man launched himself at the younger, flying into a series of kicks that Conner ducked, evaded, or blocked. Conner was a quick learner--the hook kick that had landed him on the dirt a few minutes earlier was skillfully avoided. Jason nodded his approval.

The two had been sparring in the woods behind the cave entrance to the lair for about an hour now. There had been a training session this afternoon, and Jason had taught some basic katas to the trio. But Ethan and Kira had left long ago, and Conner remained, eager to learn.

This had been going on for two weeks now. Jason only asked the kids' attendance a couple nights a week, but Conner was there as often as his schedule would allow. And he was working hard, too. Jason was incredibly impressed by Conner's headway and dedication. Furthermore, he was beginning to see a little bit of the old Conner emerging again. Not the egotistical version, but the Conner that smiled and joked. Jason only hoped that whatever it was bringing this out would work its magic on the other two Rangers. It wouldn't be the same team that Tommy had known, but Jason hated seeing these facsimile Rangers, merely shadows of their former selves. He knew all too well the intensity of this lifestyle, and the need to have a perpetual good mood to balance it out.

The psychological benefits aside, Jason could see marked improvement in his team's performance in the field. They were harder, better, faster, stronger. They were also very good at controlling their added powers from the gems--something that Jason had learned about from Conner on accident. Jason was beginning to get the distinct impression that there were many things about the team prior to Jason's arrival that the Rangers and Hayley were keeping secret.

Jason's watch beeped. The out-of-time alarm, he was grateful to notice, not the Reefside-is-in-danger alarm. "I guess we're out of time then," he said, and he and Conner bowed to each other. Jason grinned once the formalities were over and slapped Conner on the shoulder. "I've been teaching martial arts for a long time now, and I've never seen anyone learn as quickly as you," he praised the teen.

Conner nodded thoughtfully. "It's sort of like soccer. I mean, you have to be quick on your feet and you have to be always thinking ahead."

"Yeah, but you have that super-speed thing working for you," Jason said. The two of them headed back to the hidden cave entrance, where Jason put in a request to Hayley that they be let in. It could only be opened from the inside, and Jason had Hayley manning the controls on the days that he had lessons with the kids, in case of emergency.

"It's a pretty cool power to have, but I think Dr. O.'s power was cooler. Invisibility would be pretty awesome..."

Jason frowned, confused. "Tommy had a power?"

Conner's eyes widened with the look that suggested he'd said too much. "Um..." He tried to relax his face and his posture, but it was too late.

"Why on earth would Tommy have a power?" Jason mused, more to himself than to Conner. "Did he expose himself to the rocks so much that they rubbed off on him?"

"That must be it," Conner hedged weakly.

Suddenly, all the pieces fit. Tommy's propensity to wear black, something that Jason had written off to age and better fashion sense. The black Jeep that Jason had inherited. The fact that the kids were unable to call the Zords on their own without Jason's written command of the Brachio Zord.

He stopped dead at the entrance to the lair. The puzzle was rapidly coming together in his mind, and the gears in his brain were so busy with that application that he had temporarily neglected his motor functions. "There was another Ranger."

"Uh…"

Jason pushed past Conner as though the teenager wasn't there. He stalked up to Hayley, gazing idly at the console. "Why can't the Rangers control any of the auxiliary Zords?" he demanded.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Only the three main Zords are combined with the Dino Gem power," she said. "The auxiliaries are set up on a command system that you have to access from the main computer. Tommy rigged it that way when he designed the eggs back in the day. It's a backup system."

"That makes sense, but if the Brachio Zord is being used as a holding bay, why isn't it accessible to the Rangers? It would make more sense for it to be accessible in the field, rather than from the main line."

"It originally was," Hayley said, looking uncomfortable.

"What aren't you telling me, Hayley?" Jason demanded, even though he'd already figured it out. "Was Tommy a Ranger?"

"Tommy was the Black Ranger," Hayley admitted with a deep sigh. "Mesogog kidnapped him awhile ago, hoping to use Tommy's knowledge to tap into the powers of one of the Gems he'd found. But Tommy awakened the Gem's power, and it bonded to him. I already had my suspicions about the black Gem, so I had a morpher made up by the time the Rangers rescued him."

"Why did you guys neglect to mention this?"

"There was little point. We still have the Gem, so Mesogog isn't a threat--not that it matters, they choose who they bond to. Brachio can still be operated from here, so having an extra person out in the field isn't necessary."

Jason sat down. "I can't believe Tommy never told me."

"He probably didn't want you to worry," Hayley offered, patting his arm.

"So that's how he died," Jason said. "In the field."

Hayley looked away, tears brimming in her eyes. "It was an ambush. Zeltrax has had a long history of hating Tommy for no apparent reason, and since the Brachio Zord isn't intended for battle, Tommy's usually on the ground during the height of any major conflicts, so he goes into hand-to-hand a lot with Zeltrax. But it was an ambush…Mesogog came down during the attack, and used that weird mind power of his to scramble with Tommy's brain just enough that he was too disoriented to fight, and then Elsa and Zeltrax double teamed him." Her voice caught at that. "Don't bring this up around the kids. They're doing so well now, they're finally getting better...I'm worried that they might blame themselves."

Jason nodded. He had heard Conner leave long ago, and knew that Ethan and Kira wouldn't set foot in the lair for the rest of the evening, if they could help it. He requested that Hayley bring up any files that they had about Tommy's third color change, and long after she left, he watched video footage and read the recorded stats that had been compiled.

Though Jason had been the very first leader of the Power Rangers, he had long ago come to terms with the fact that Tommy Oliver had been the most prominent face of the Rangers, the strongest Ranger, the most dedicated, and quite possibly the best ever. Seeing Tommy's long legacy of accomplishments reduced to a file of statistics made Jason feel both more powerful at what he had produced and what he had inherited, and yet somehow insignificant.


	11. Part III, Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

This is a little ahead of schedule, but I realized that I probably wouldn't have computer access Saturday for the usual update, so I figured you guys would get a reprieve.

* * *

Jason awoke with a start. He was in the kitchen --still hesitant to refer to it as "his" kitchen-- and had apparently fallen asleep at the table. His faced felt somewhat numb from being pressed against the wood for so long. It took a moment before he was able to place the source of his waking up. Ah, it was the phone ringing. He shook his head to clear the haze and picked up the receiver. "Hello?" 

"Hey, honey."

A smile crossed his face regardless of the dull ache in his jaw. "Hey, Em," he said warmly. "I miss you. How is everything?"

"I landed a spot in a new Coke commercial," she said.

"Em, that's fantastic!" Jason said. Emily launched into a tale of everything that had happened in the past week, and Jason was content just to listen to his fiancée's voice and appreciate this taste of the home he used to know. She asked about Reefside, and he filled her in on his new position as personal trainer. He neglected to mention the exact circumstances behind Tommy's death, that was, the disturbing new little tidbit he'd learned.

"There's one other thing," Emily had said before hanging up, "Kimberly called."

So Jason sat now at the counter, very much awake, staring at the phone. He had never told any of his friends that he'd be moving to Reefside, the home of Tommy's death.

He dialed Kim's number, feeling awkward. She answered on the third ring.

"It's Jason."

"My God, Jase, I thought you'd died," she said with a slight laugh, one that tapered off into dead silence. "Bad choice of words."

"Yeah. Well."

"I haven't heard from you in awhile," she amended. "How are things? Where are you? Emily said you weren't living in your apartment anymore, did something happen?"

"No, nothing. We're still engaged. I just had to move to Reefside for a few months."

He could imagine her screwing up her face in confusion. "Reefside?"

"Yeah, it's in southern Cali," he covered. "I had to...deal with some stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Suspicion was dripping from her voice, and Jason felt a stab of guilt at having to lie to Kim, his closest friend, but he had a lot to protect.

"You know. Work stuff."

"For the studio?"

"Yeah," he said, perhaps a little too quickly.

"Oh my _God_, Jason, you're not cheating on Emily, are you?" Kimberly accused.

Jason's eyes widened, and he was so flabbergasted by this accusation that he was completely unable to answer. But before he could say anything, the front door swung open (he liked to keep it unlocked during the day and early evening, in case anyone dropped by--only four people ever did). "Jason?" Hayley called.

"I'm in the kitchen," he called. "C'mon in."

"Jason Scott, is that a _woman's_ voice?" Kimberly said.

Hayley was holding Conner's red morpher in her hand. "I need to do this quick, I'm on my break," she said.

Jason nodded. "Just go on down." Hayley went into the other room, and he thought he heard a second set of footsteps following her. Faintly, he heard a voice in his ear, and it was a moment before he realized it was Kimberly. "Kim, I gotta go," he said hastily, "I'll call you later."

"Jason, wait a second--" But he'd already hung up and was heading down into the lair. Conner was the second set of footsteps, he was perched on a stool watching as Hayley tinkered with the morpher. "What's going on?"

"My com went off in last period today. There was dead static there, though. I thought I'd bring it to Hayley."

"I'm hoping it's just a glitch and not some sort of interference, courtesy of you-know-who."

"That's not an option, is it?" he asked, worriedly.

"Not from the looks of things," Hayley said, turning around to face the men with an exasperated expression. She held up a blade of grass, and Conner went a little red. "Be more careful next time, Conner. I don't know what you were doing exactly, just watch yourself." Conner offered her a half-smile, and she shook her head in exasperation and walked away.

"Kira used to do that to me all the time," Conner remarked once the redhead had left.

"Roll her eyes and leave?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, basically." Conner sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Jason...you're, like, engaged, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you a question? About, like, girls? I mean, I could never go to Dr. O. with this sort of thing, 'cause, well, _look_ at him. He's completely clueless." Neither of them noticed the reference to Tommy in the present tense--or if they did, they didn't seem to care.

Jason laughed. "You should have seen him in high school. But sure, ask away."

"It's about Kira."

Jason had always thought he detected a connection between the Red and Yellow Rangers, but he just assumed that it was a deep bond of friendship, like between himself and Kim. He was intrigued at the prospect of there being something else.

Conner fussed with his com bracelet, snapping it back on his wrist and keeping his eyes trained on the task. "She...I sort of...well, you know, she didn't always..." He sighed, meeting Jason's eyes again. "Look, the thing is, I'm really worried about her. She's not really _herself_, you know? I mean, she's totally not like this. You saw. Nowadays she just seems sad all the time, and I'm really worried that she might not get better. 'Cause, I mean, I'm bummed, too, but I'm still myself. And what if she doesn't ever get back to normal? Because I liked the old Kira. I mean, I like this Kira, too, she's a lot easier to deal with, it's just...it's not the same."

Jason nodded. "I understand. But she's getting better, though. The other day during training she gave me a death glare that almost made me wet myself."  
  
Conner smirked, which had been Jason's intent. "That's the Kira I know."  
  
"None of us are really who we used to be, Conner," Jason said quietly, a decided seriousness creeping into his tone. "But it's only a matter of time before things go back to normal. It sounds weird to hear, I know, but it happens."  
  
"It's not a good normal or anything," Conner argued. "A good normal would be going back to science class tomorrow morning and having Dr. O. yell at me for being late."  
  
"I've done this before, remember? And I hated to think that there was a day where I'd begin to feel normal again after Trini died. But it happened. It took awhile, but it happened." _And then there was Tommy_, Jason thought, but he kept it to himself. "It'll happen for you, and it'll happen for Kira, too. And she'll remember who was there to help her through the hard times, Conner, trust me on that."  
  
Conner nodded. "Thanks, Jason." Jason smiled, and as he followed Conner out of the lair and watched him drive away, he couldn't help mentally thanking Conner for his trust and respect.


	12. Part III, Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

The next night, following a long and intense battle, after the kids had finally gone home, Jason called Emily. The first words out of her mouth were, "Kimberly called again, and she kept asking me questions about how happy I was with you and did I ever wonder if there were other fish in the sea."

Jason couldn't help it; he started laughing. "I think she thinks I'm cheating on you. I didn't tell her exactly why I was in Reefside, and while we were talking, Hayley came by because she had to use the lair."

"Oh." Emily laughed, too, but it sounded kind of forced.

"Em, relax. I'm not cheating on you. You know that."

"I know. I just...I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Conner came by yesterday, too, and he's really worried about Kira. It was sort of...cute." Jason laughed and shook his head at himself for using the word.

"Maybe he has a crush on her or something," Emily suggested.

Jason laughed again. "I wouldn't be completely surprised. It's like a little soap opera down here. You'd love it."

"Maybe I should come visit."

His blood ran cold at that. "Emily, no. It's not safe here. There was another attack today, and it was brutal...it took us half an hour to clean Ethan up. I don't want you in the middle of this."

"I lived in the middle of it when I was in Angel Grove," she countered. "Remember? You were the Gold Ranger?"

"It's different now," he insisted. "Someone's died. The stakes are higher than they've ever been."

"Jason, I just want to meet the people that have so taken over your life. I think you owe me that much." Owe? Jason cocked an eyebrow at that particular phrasing, but Emily continued before he could say anything, "I don't mean it to sound like that. I just want to see you again, is all. Just a weekend, please? If anyone can protect me, you and the kids can."

Jason sighed. "Fine. Come." He really would love having her here, even if for a weekend. He told her as much, and she accepted it gleefully.

That Friday, Jason called off training practice so that he could go to the airport to pick up Emily. Conner and Kira rode in the back of the Jeep, with nothing better to do, so they had claimed. Ethan had opted to go to the Cyberspace and meet Emily later. Since the former two had volunteered to come along, Jason didn't press the idea of it being a group activity. As far as he was concerned, Ethan going to the Cyberspace and not tagging along with whatever his teammates decided, was probably the best possible thing. It showed that he might be getting back to normal.

Jason stood at the gate, Conner and Kira hovering back a few paces, all three of them eagerly scanning the disembarking passengers. Jason's entire countenance lit up when his blond fiancée entered the masses. "Em!" he yelled, and she sought for the source of the voice.

"Jase!"

The two ran and hugged each other hard, behind them, Jason could hear Kira muttered, "It's like watching the Lifetime Channel." He laughed, released Emily, but kept one arm around her shoulders. "Guys, this is Emily. Emily, this is Conner, and this is Kira."

"I'm so glad to finally meet you," she said enthusiastically. "You look so cute together."

Kira's face flamed slightly, Conner averted his eyes to the floor, and they both took a step away from each other. Jason hid a smirk. He thought that Conner might have a crush on Kira, but he wasn't expecting that Kira might have a crush on Conner, as well. Emily, however, was nonplussed, and went to shake hands with the both of them. "I know about the...secret," she said. That, naturally, got their attention. "Don't worry, it's safe with me."

"Emily and I have been together since high school," Jason explained. "Since I was the Gold Ranger."

"Whoa. You're not an ex-Ranger too, are you?" Conner said.

Emily laughed. "God, no. I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess. Or something like that."

"Guys, we're in the middle of an airport, so this is neither the time nor the place to discuss this," Jason reminded gently as Emily retrieved her luggage from the carousel. "Conner, get Em's bag, would you?"

"What am I, some kind of bellboy?" the Red Ranger griped, but he collected the suitcase all the same.

"All you need is the little hat," Kira teased. The younger two of the quartet headed towards the exit, bickering gently. Emily leaned her head against Jason's shoulder, and he squeezed her gently. "They are cute together," she observed. "Although maybe I shouldn't have said anything."

"Maybe you should have," he countered. "A push is what they need. This is the most Kira-like I've seen Kira be since I first met her. Your being here must be good for them, Emily," he said proudly, kissing her forehead.

Once they'd all been settled in the Jeep, Jason asked where to, and Emily suggested brightly that she wanted to see the Cyberspace before they went to Jason's new home. So Jason led her inside, taking her to the counter, where his redheaded friend was hard at work, frantically passing out drinks. Jason waited until there was a lull before he spoke up. "Hey, Hayley."

"Hi, Jason," she began, then noticed his companion (the students having gone to join Ethan). "Oh! You must be Emily."

"Hayley, hi! I've heard so much about you!" Emily said. Hayley shook the woman's hand across the counter, but Jason thought that her smile was turned down a notch.

Hayley got one of the other employees to cover for her while she joined Conner, Kira, Ethan, Jason, and Emily at the usual table. They all chatted easily, Emily handing the motley crew with the same effortless friendliness that Jason had seen applied to the patrons at her bars. Of course, he knew her well enough to know that with the kids, she was absolutely sincere.

With Emily here, he was surprised at how much more Reefside felt like home. Just like she had made L.A. feel like home when Angel Grove no longer felt that way. For either of them. Things had started to be oppressive for her, the pressures of being a small-town girl apparently more than she could bear. Jason had just wanted to get out of the place that had stripped him of his identity not once, but twice.

He allowed the conversation to drift over him as he dwelled on his past and on his friends. Trini had found her place, her true place, at the conference in Switzerland. She excelled at relating to others, and she lived to help people. Zack had finally found happiness with Marie, a steady relationship with a stable woman filling a void in Zack's life that he hadn't even known he had. Billy's place was always with his math, his science, his inventions. Billy simply loved to learn, loved to expand his brain as much as he possibly could, and then some. Kim's place was found in her gymnastics, grace and beauty were her forte. Jason, however, had had his karate and the Rangers. That was what identified him, and his authority had been taken away unceremoniously, and left him feeling identity-less.

His friends never knew the extent to which losing the Gold Ranger powers had damaged him. He'd gone to therapy for a year in L.A., under the pretense of emotional distress. Counseling had been difficult, seeing as how he had to omit the most important reason for his distress, but he had learned to cope. Emily had been his rock, and he soon realized that he didn't need therapy, that he was capable of recovering on his own--so he did.

He had cut off communication with his friends during that year, as well, before finally resuming letter-writing and phone calls with Kimberly, Trini, and Zack. He had made been making a point of avoiding the Zeo team altogether, and the painful memories that those six individuals stirred within him, but after awhile, Tanya had broken down his defenses. He had always liked Tanya; she was a sweet girl. They were all sweet girls, really, but Tanya had admitted to him how much of an outsider she'd felt, the new girl. Katherine had her relationship with Tommy; Tommy, Adam, Rocky, and Billy had been working together for a year now, and Tanya was acting as a replacement for Aisha, someone whom they'd all cared about greatly. She'd picked up on how Jason had felt like the odd man out, and understood totally, though their situations were hardly the same.

Though he talked with these friends often, they didn't know about his pain. Only Emily knew the hell he had gone through after leaving Angel Grove, though at the time she did not know the exact circumstances.

But now, Jason had a place again. He was a leader, he was fighting the good fight --albeit not directly-- and he had a place. There was the little niggling feeling that he was just a replacement for Tommy, but he fought that aside. The kids had warmed to him, the kids found things in him that they hadn't found in Tommy. They needed him, and they were getting better, something he'd had a part in.

Ethan made a joke that had the whole table laughing. Jason tuned into the conversation late, but still he laughed, allowing himself to open up and let the laughter flow out of him in a torrent, regardless of whether or not the joke he hadn't heard was funny. He grinned at Emily and squeezed her hand tightly. She blessed him with a beautiful smile, and launched into the story about his and Adam's volunteer work as ballet dancers in Kat's play of King Midas. It was an old war story, but one that served its purpose. The kids were endeared, showing it in terms of full, open mocking. Jason drove Emily to the house with a good, warm feeling spreading through his gut.

"So this is it, huh?" she said with a grin as he led her inside. "My God, it's rustic."

Jason laughed out loud at that. "Well, he didn't put too much into the living part, but wait until you see the working part. It's amazing. Do you want to see it?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. I'm going to be here all weekend, I'm sure I'll get my chance." Emily gave him a slow, sweet kiss. "I'm not here for the scenery, Jase. I'm here for you."

And he couldn't have been happier.


	13. Part III, Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

* * *

The next morning, Jason awoke to the smell of pancakes. He wandered into the tiny kitchen to witness Emily humming to herself as she flipped a perfect pancake. He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder. "Dare I ask?"

"I don't get to cook for anyone at home, and you don't have anyone cooking for you here," she said.  
  
"I get free muffins at Hayley's..." he offered.  
  
"It was sweet of her to hire you," Emily said, lifting the golden brown cakes out of the frying pan and onto a plate. "Hayley seems wonderful."  
  
"She's great," Jason agreed. "The kids really like her, and she knows her way around all this technical stuff. The Rangers would probably be doomed without her."  
  
"The Rangers, or you?" she asked carefully.  
  
He whirled her around and clinched his arms around her even tighter. "The Rangers. I have you." He kissed her slowly, deeply, a reminder of last night.  
  
"Pancakes are getting cold," she murmured, and he released her. Much as he loved Emily, he also loved a full breakfast--something he hadn't had in awhile. They sat down at the table, and she smiled at him fondly. "I've missed you, Jase."  
  
"I've missed you too." He took a big bite, and the taste exploded on his tongue. He closed his eyes, a blissful expression crossing his face. "And I've missed this, too. When did you get to be the world's best cook?"  
  
"You must really be desperate," she said, laughing. "Hurry up and eat, I want to see this 'Ops' you keep yammering on about."  
  
"If I eat too fast, I'll puke," he chastised her with a grin. "Sit down and eat, would you? You're making me feel weird, just staring at me like that."  
  
She kissed his cheek. "Fine." She pulled up a chair, and they ate in comfortable silence. Jason helped her clear the dishes, and she protested that he was only being a gentleman because he didn't want to show her the base. He laughed, and pulled the secret lever in the living room.  
  
"Tommy designed this?" she gasped, looking around. "Tommy, who couldn't ask Kat for a date?"  
  
Jason laughed. "Apparently, designing an elaborate underground lair is tons easier than inviting a blond to a luau."  
  
Emily slipped her hand in his. "As I recall, you invited me to that luau."

"Then I should be able to design one _hell_ of a base," he joked.

She hit his arm. "Dork."  
  
"You're marrying me."  
  
"So show me what I'm marrying into," she said. "What do all these fancy buttons do?"  
  
He gave her the grand tour, and when he finished showing her some of the video data, he noticed her smiling at him. "What?"  
  
"I haven't seen you look this happy since you first started working down at the studio," she said. "Actually, I haven't seen you this happy since when we were in Angel Grove. You really miss it, don't you?"  
  
"I do," he said. "I'll admit, though, I'm glad I'm not in uniform anymore. I like where I am, I really do."  
  
She sat on his lap. "I'm happy for you, Jase."  
  
He nuzzled her neck for a moment, before she descended upon him in a sweet kiss. He lost himself in the moment. He hadn't realized before today that he was happy here, working with the Rangers. Some of the best times in his life had happened when he'd been in Red or Gold. Now he was the man behind the scenes, but he was still doing a lot of good and he was enjoying himself. He liked these kids, and he was suddenly feeling a lot better about the whole ordeal in Angel Grove that he'd left behind.  
  
"Whoa, Jason, man. This is a sacred place," Ethan said, as the trio of kids piled into the lair.  
  
With a discreet cough, Emily slid out of Jason's lap. "Jason was just showing me around."  
  
"His hand was up your shirt," Ethan said bluntly.  
  
Conner hit the Blue Ranger. "Dude."  
  
"So are you kids usually here? I mean, it's Saturday."  
  
Kira shrugged. "Not much else to do," she said flatly, sitting on a chair. The first time Jason had seen her in that chair, she'd had her guitar in her lap. He'd not seen her in that position since. "Hey, Kira, when was the last time you had a show?" Jason said.  
  
Kira looked confused, her eyes dead beneath the heavy makeup. "Show?"  
  
"As in, music, duh," Conner said, sitting at the edge of the platform, making himself the closest in the room to her. "Remember music? You used to love it. What happened?"  
  
"I think you know what happened," she said, and glared.  
  
"I remember that glare!" Conner said. "I remember I used to say something stupid, and you'd silence me with a nasty look. C'mon, Kira, don't you remember those days? They weren't that long ago."  
  
Emily and Ethan both looked like they wanted to leave. Jason knew that none of them, himself included, wanted to intrude on what was apparently a personal moment. But Conner and Kira didn't seem to notice those around them.

"Dr. O. _died_, Conner, I can't exactly go back to the way I was."  
  
"Yeah, I get that he died!" Conner said heatedly. "I was there, remember? The point is, you are still here, you're still alive, but you're walking around like a damn zombie! Get it together! Dr. O. wouldn't want you to be moping around like this, and you know it! When you mope, you're too busy being depressed to fight the good fight, and Dr. O. was all about the fight! The cause! We're stopping Mesogog, stopping his crazy plan, but more importantly than that, _we're getting him back for what he did to us_." He knelt down in front of her. "This is personal, so you're allowed to take it personally. But not passively, because then he wins. Please, Kira, just be yourself again." He held her hands in his, and Jason looked away, knowing he was witnessing a very personal moment. "Please. We miss you, and we need you."

Jason could hear in Conner's voice what Conner wasn't saying, what perhaps he didn't even know he was saying: _I miss you; I need you_. He no longer doubted the validity of Emily's earlier observation of the Red and Yellow Rangers.

When he looked at them again, Kira was staring at him with an unreadable expression in her eyes, but at least it wasn't the deadened one Jason had grown accustomed to. She said nothing for a long while, and with a labored sigh, Conner stood up. "Fine, whatever, babe, just let him walk all over you. I always knew you were the weakest link of the Rangers, and it turns out I was right." He cast her a disgusted look, and started to walk away.  
  
Jason watched the tableau with a small amount of horror, unaware that Conner had it in him to be so callous, particularly to a girl he clearly cared a lot about. Emily looked sad. But Ethan's expression was the most interesting, he looked unimpressed, as though he already knew the outcome.

Kira jumped to her feet and stalked after Conner. "You arrogant little son of a--" she spluttered, "how dare you tell me that I'm the 'weakest link'? Like you're better than me, just because you're wearing red? Are you out of your mind? I go out there and fight _every day_, Conner, and I always give it my all, and you know it. Don't even think about writing off my contributions to the team, don't even _think_ about calling me some weak little girl, you male chauvinist pig! And _what_ have I told you about calling me babe!"

Conner turned around then, a big grin spread across his face. He directed it at Ethan. "Kira's back." And Jason figured it out--Conner had constructed his misogynistic little rant with Kira's exact reaction in mind. It had worked. Kira hit Conner's arm, but she was laughing slightly as she called him unfavorable names. Ethan was smiling at his two friends, tired but sincere. Jason was finally seeing the three Rangers he'd been introduced to, the first glimpse that things were back to normal.  
  
Well, as normal as it could ever get, all things considered. But it was good. This moment was better than anything Jason had seen in the duration of his stay here.  
  
Emily shifted her weight on his lap, alerting Jason to her presence, as he'd completely forgotten she was there. Suddenly he figured it out: he'd forgotten because he was used to her. The three Rangers were normalcy for each other, and Emily was normalcy for him. She'd been there when he'd been in Gold, and when he'd lost his powers, when he'd lost himself, and when he'd found himself. She was here for him now. Trini or no Trini, Zordon or no Zordon, Tommy or no Tommy...Rangers or no Rangers, Jason had Emily. No matter the situation, his life was normal with her around. 


	14. Part III, Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

AN: This is the last chapter. After this, there's only the epilogue left. You've been warned.

* * *

Mesogog attacked once over the weekend, and though they'd won, a freaked out Jason shipped Emily back home, refusing to subject her to anything unnecessary. He also underwent more rigorous training with the three Rangers, whom were getting impressively good. Kira, more or less back to normal, took especial joy out of sparring with Conner, the fire raging between them in civilian life making their training battles furious and fast-paced. Ethan was spurred by his friends and while he wasn't as good on the field as either of them, he wanted to contribute to the growing strength of the team. He went back to his computer and made various fighting sims in the hopes of helping Jason design some training regimens. The information he had obtained from video footage of battles helped them create a database and a routine to deal with Tyrannodrone attacks in the most efficient way possible. Jason was proud, the kids were unstoppable.

The real surprise was Conner. His proficiency in the martial arts, his eagerness to learn and his ability to retain and build upon what he had learned were an asset to the team, and made Conner a very formidable fighter. Jason wished he were younger so that he could match his skills (which he believed were in top form when he was Conner's age). Tommy would have been proud. A young Tommy might even have gotten his butt kicked by the current Red Ranger.

Kira was on the guitar again. Three weeks later, she had gotten in sufficient practices with her band and deemed herself stage-ready once more, so she hit the Cyberspace. "I'd like to call this song, 'My Forgotten,'" she said into the mic, her voice low and sad. "It goes out to a special friend that I didn't get as much time with as I would've liked."

She launched into a slow, mournful ballad about losing a person and finding herself in the meantime. While the whole crowd seemed upset by the melancholy song, it hit the team the hardest. Conner stared unblinkingly at the stage, while Ethan focused on a spot on the floor. Hayley was sniffling, and Jason reached out to grab her hand. She gave him a watery smile. The two had a unique connection, and she considered him a good friend, and a great comfort.

When Kira reached the end of the song, the four of them stood up, clapping and cheering. Kira gave them a watery smile before launching into her next song, which was a little more upbeat.

But as the audience grooved to Kira's tune, three bracelets flashed in unison. Red and blue on the floor of the Cyberspace, yellow on its stage. Worried glances were exchanged between five people, and Jason, Conner, and Ethan rushed out, not before giving Kira a 'stay and finish your set' look. She watched them go with a regretful expression, because it was her duty to go with them, but it was her duty to her audience and her band to at least finish the show she'd promised them after so long.

She didn't grace them with a second set, as she'd originally planned. How could she concentrate on her music while her friends were battling? She ducked out of the Cyberspace and contacted them. "Where are you guys at?" she asked.

"Kira, get to the base _now_," Jason barked. "It's not safe out there. I want you where I can see you. Get Hayley, too."

Kira frowned, puzzled, but she didn't question Jason's judgment, and went back inside to get their tech whiz.

* * *

In the base, Jason surveyed his three teenage charges --and Hayley-- with sad, worried eyes. "Mesogog is no longer keeping to his fortress," he said, though the two boys in the room already knew of this development. "He's deliberately attacking the populace, some of them with intent to kill. I've..." Jason almost choked on the words and had to get some air before continuing. "I was a Ranger for a long time, I've been in the uniform twice, and I've seen a lot of things. But nothing ever like this." He sighed deeply. "I don't want to send you out there."

"But we have to go," Conner said evenly. His voice was laden with trepidation and resignation, knowing what he had to do. "We're the Earth's best bet."

"I'm aware. But I'm responsible for you guys, and I don't want to send you out into something so uncertain."

Over the screen, a terrified scream rang out, followed by one of pain. Jason winced, though he was facing away from the console, and none of the Rangers could focus on the screen over his shoulder. It was slaughter, it was horrific and unprecedented, and none of them was quite sure what to do.

"We're well trained for this," Conner said, acting as the voice of the team. If Ethan or Kira disagreed with anything he said, they would nonetheless respect his decision and follow his lead. "If something...if something happens to us, all you have to worry about is getting the gems and giving them to someone else so that the fight keeps going. There are plenty of candidates, I'm sure. You could probably do it yourself, if you wanted. Or got some other ex-Rangers. That's your backup plan. For now, though, I'm going out there and I'm not going to give up until Mesogog and his little friends are stopped."

"I'm with him," Kira said immediately.

"Me too," said Ethan.

There was no smile in Jason's eyes to accompany the sad one on his lips. "If you insist. For the record, I have never doubted your abilities. Not once. Tommy chose well." He didn't know how to send them out. Not with wishes for luck.

They were all okay now. As happy as they could have been, considering the circumstances. Finding their places in the world once more. Jason was glad Tommy had chosen him to continue his legacy. Jason had given the leadership duties to Tommy, and now he was getting them back. Everything had come full circle, and Jason would finally be able to leave the Power Rangers, satisfied with what he had accomplished, and with an ending that was complete and final. Tommy had brought them all into this fight, and it was for him that they were finishing it once and for all.

"Make..." Jason said, "make him proud."

The Rangers nodded, and got into position. "Ready?" Conner asked.

"Ready," they agreed, their morphers already out.

_"Dino Thunder, power up!"_


	15. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own PR, I just wish I did.

AN: thanks to everyone who's been following my little saga. You've all been so supportive of it, even after I killed Tommy, and I can't thank you enough for it. You guys have made working on this story much better than it would have been otherwise.

A special thank you goes out to Sarah, without whom I probably never would've finished this story. And I mean that. She's one of the best writers I know, and my inspiration.

And now, the epilogue.

* * *

"So this is it, huh?"

"What, you were expecting fur-lined rooms and a grotto?"

The first remark was accompanied by an appraising, semi-critical eye, the second delivered with a sardonic grin.

Kira laughed. "Coming from you, yeah, I kind of was."

"Hey, I didn't design this place, Ethan did," Conner retorted.

"You were never the brains of the bunch."

"Neither was Dr. O.," Conner argued lightly, "but he managed."

"You know, when it all ended, I never suspected that you two would go back to it," she said. "Especially not after what happened."

"You mean, my temporary insanity that allowed me to kill Mesogog, Zeltrax, and Elsa in one fell swoop?" he said unflinchingly. Kira's eyes widened. He had finally voiced the disastrous act, something that he hadn't been able to come to terms with for a long, long time. While Kira had gone into depression after Tommy Oliver's death, it was nothing compared to what Conner had undergone after they'd finally defeated their enemies. Conner's moment of blind rage and slaughter had destroyed him so emotionally that for awhile, they had worried he might never recover. But he seemed okay now, truly okay.

"Yeah, I meant that," she said finally.

"I didn't think I would, either," he admitted. "Ethan wanted to do it just for fun, you know? But I've been reading up on this Hathor-Sakmet legend, and if I'm right...I think we're going to have a big problem on our hands. Suffice to say, I wanted some major firepower under the Earth's belt."

Kira surveyed the man in front of her. Ten years older than when they'd met, and more attractive, were that even possible. Certainly wiser. This was not the same Conner she had met, whose primary interests circled around soccer, soccer, girls, and soccer. This Conner still played the favorite sport, on the local club team, but his world no longer revolved around it. He had seen and done too much to be restricted to the simple pleasures soccer had to offer him. For instance, the kid who had almost never cracked a book in the two years they'd gone to school together was now fascinated by Egyptian history and legend.

He got his exercise other ways, having continued his martial arts training over the years, going to L.A. for a little while to get official training at the studio Jason worked at, and then later at Jason's own personal studio. When Jason had become so successful with the Ranger Black Karate Studio, he had opened up a smaller branch in Amino Valley, asking if Conner would run it for him. Conner had jumped at the chance. He took night courses in business and management at Reefside Community College, and was running the studio with a moderate degree of success. He was happy now, he was okay with himself after what he'd done. He'd healed, and remarkably so.

"So what all have you done?" Kira asked.

"Well, we've made the base, and we've created the morphers, except for the uniform design. I was hoping you could help with that, actually," he said with an almost shy smile that she barely recognized on him.

"Why me?"

"You obviously have better fashion sense than me or Ethan," Conner said flippantly. "Plus, it wouldn't be the same if you didn't help in _some_ way."

"Well, you're Jason, and Ethan's Hayley, that makes me...what? Cassidy?"

Conner laughed. "Something like that. But seriously, Kira, we're a _team_ and we can't do this without you."

"Between the two of you, you can certainly do it without me."

"We don't want to," he said simply, staring at her.

"Fair enough," she said. He grinned at her, clearly relieved, and she found herself smiling back, but it turned into a sad one as she blurted the thought that had been on her mind, unspoken, for ten years. "You know, Con...you did what any of us would have done."

"No, I didn't," he said. "It's not what Tommy or Jason would've done. Senseless violence. They never got around to destroying Rita Repulsa or Lord Zedd or any of the others that they faced. They always found a better way." He stared at her a moment. "I never even looked." There was a resignation in his brown eyes, one that hadn't been there two minutes ago, one that she had put there by bringing the subject up. She felt horrible about that, but the topic needed to be talked about, and they needed closure.

"The stakes were higher this time around than when they were fighting," she argued. "Rita Repulsa and company never killed anyone. Mesogog did. It was unforgivable. The world is a sadder place for losing Dr. O. the way it did. And you know that if you hadn't done what you'd done, Ethan or I would have."

"Would you?" he said, his tone flat.

She grabbed his hands in hers and squeezed. "Yes, Conner, I would have. I seem to recall you making some big, impassioned speech about how the fight had gotten personal, so that I should take it personally. You said that being passive wasn't the way of going about it. And you were right. I don't doubt that." She sighed. "I wish you didn't have to shoulder this burden yourself. I wish I had been a been a better friend to you when you needed me most. You were more than anyone could have asked for when I needed you, and I was useless to you."

"Never useless," he promised her, his voice thick. "Kira, you've _always_ been there for me, you should know that by now. I don't know what I would've done without you."

The words were there, but she knew that most of Conner's healing had been a personal thing, that she'd not been involved in. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't be," he said, and he kissed her slowly.

"Oh, hey, didn't realize I was interrupting a tender moment," Ethan's voice rang out across the room, amusement lacing his tone. Conner finished the kiss before looking up, having deemed Kira more important than Ethan for the time being.

"What's up, dude."

"Did you get her on board? Is she going to design the uniforms for us?" Ethan asked eagerly, sitting down.

"Yup, she's taking time off of her busy tour schedule to do menial labor for us," Conner said cheerfully.

"Oh, awesome," proclaimed Ethan. "It wouldn't have been the same without Kira here."

Kira smiled at their enthusiasm. They both lived in Amino Valley, next door neighbors, but she was so busy recording and touring that she still technically resided in her apartment in Reefside, when she actually had time to stand still. With this week off, she'd been living in Conner's house, and she felt more comfortable there than she did anywhere else in the world (most of which she'd had the luxury of seeing).

"How many are we working with?" she asked.

"Three, of course," Ethan said. "Your standard red, yellow, and blue scheme."

"So original," she teased, rolling her eyes.

"Hey! It's a classic," he said.

"All right. Just point me in the right direction, and I'll get to work. But for the record, I'm not a fashion major or anything like that."

Conner smiled at her fondly. "You'll do fine."

And so the afternoon began with Kira bent over a drawing board in the corner of the underground lair connecting Conner's and Ethan's homes.

Ethan's cell phone rang, and he took it upstairs to his kitchen. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ethan."

"Jason! It's been awhile. How are things? How's the baby?"

"She's doing okay. Had a little bit of a cold last week that had Emily freaked out to no end, but she's better now." Baby Hayley, named after the tech genius proprietor of a worldwide chain of Cyberspaces, was the second of two children --the first named after Jason's best friend, of course-- for an exuberant Jason and Emily Scott. "How are Conner and Kira?" asked Jason.

Ethan smiled in the direction of the lab door. "Kira's home for the week, and Conner's absolutely beside himself. She's been staying at his place, and I think he's going to ask her to move in permanently--when she's not touring, of course."

"That's great for him."

"For her, too. She needs a place to feel at home. They're good for each other." Ethan laughed. "It's all thanks to Emily, you know. If she hadn't paired them together as bridesmaid and usher at your guys' wedding..."

"Oh, they probably would've gotten together anyway."

"Not without that push," Ethan said. "But it was cool of you two to include us losers in your wedding, either way," he added.

"Why wouldn't we?" Jason said. "You guys are family to us. I don't know what I would've done if I hadn't had you three to help me with the healing process."

"Same to you, Jase," Ethan said sincerely.

"ETHE!" Kira yelled from downstairs. "I THINK I'M DONE!"

"You got her to help with costume design?" Jason asked, having heard the cry over the phone.

"Conner must have threatened her into it. Listen, I'll have to call you back, okay?"

"Waiting for it," Jason said, and they hung up. Ethan retreated into the lab. "Already?"

"What can I say, I was inspired. It's a simplistic design, but it works," she said, holding up her images. "You're not going to be happy though..."

"Why's that?" he asked, then started laughing. "Conner, have you seen this?"

"Nope." Conner all but bounced across the room to put a hand on Ethan's shoulder and the other arm around Kira's shoulders. He stared at Kira's haphazard artwork, and the expression on his face alone was enough to send Ethan and Kira into another fit of laughter. "Aw, how come the red one's gotta be a _girl_?"


End file.
